On how she met longtime friend Nicolas Ghesquière...GRACE CODDINGTON: When I did Vogue’s Alice in Wonderland-themed shoot with Annie Leibovitz [famously depicted in the documentary The September Issue], I desperately wanted to include him. And he made a dress especially for it. After that shooting, we became close friends.

On what she admires most about him... GC: He’s never following a trend; he’s always driving fashion forward. He’s a designer who bravely makes statements he could be dashed for. He’s always bold and always convincing.

On how the collaboration came about...GC: We’d been talking about doing something together for about three years, and when I left Vogue to go freelance, we finally could. It was obvious that it was going to involve cats, but I very much wanted to involve his dog, Léon, too. The collaboration is between Nicolas and I—and here we are personified through our animals, so to speak.

The collaboration’s playful pet-inspired accessories range from $150 to $6,000.

On how she got her cats over the years... GC: There was Brian and Stanley. Then I had Maureen and Doreen. Then Coco, Henri and Baby. Then Puff and Bart, and now Pumpkin and Blanket. I used to go and hang out a lot at the cat show at Madison Square Garden. I met a woman there with three kittens, and that’s where I got Pumpkin, and later I got Blanket from her too.

On having a sense of humor within the world of luxury... GC: I think it’s essential. Otherwise, it can get very stuffy and choke you. There has to be irreverence.